snow pack Archives

Floods

Kern River flows ramping down thanks to cool weather but will remain strong through the fall

June 9, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Cooler weather has slowed the anticipated snowmelt above Lake Isabella enough that outflows from the dam will ramp down to 6,500 cubic feet per second starting Sunday, according to Kern River Water Master Mark Mulkay. “We’ve been watching the snow surveys and weather up there and think we’re in really good shape to be able…

Floods • Uncategorized

The Tule River watershed remains a wild card in a wild water year

April 17, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Residents and farms along the Tule River have been hammered by flood waters this year. And, unfortunately, the best those same folks can hope for as the weather heats up is, well, more flooding. “I think the best case scenario is a prolonged period of minor to moderate flooding sort of what we’re already seeing,…

Drought

Kern River run off predicted to be downright miserly

May 3, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Kern River watershed watcher Scott Williams put out what will be his final Kern River Snow and Water Report May 3 and the news was grim. The predicted run off for the Kern River has dwindled from an already meager 33% of normal last month to a downright miserly 28% of normal this month. The…

Drought • Federal System

Feds not giving “fair share” of water to all contractors, some say

March 8, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

In California’s byzantine water world, some water districts are, apparently, more equal than others, to paraphrase George Orwell. That appears to be the case in the federally operated Central Valley Project, particularly when it comes to two main sets of water districts: the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors and the Friant Contractors. On Feb. 27,…

Drought

Skimpy state snowpack points to another long, dry summer

March 1, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted its third snow survey of the season and the outlook is not good for the state’s water users. The survey recorded 35 inches of snow at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada mountains below Lake Tahoe. That’s about 68% of average for this time of year. Statewide, snowpack…

Drought

Monthly report on Kern River watershed shows underachieving snow pack, so far

February 1, 2022

• by Lois Henry

The monthly Kern River Snow and Water Report ,compiled by a Kern River Valley water watcher, was delivered to email inboxes Feb. 1 and the news was sub par. Scott Williams, of Kernville, compiles a monthly precipitation report for the Kern River watershed from numerous publicly available sources. The report shows a roller coaster water…